1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electronic testing method for eye depth perception. The testing method comprises a three dimensional cubic space displayed on a display screen, wherein a subject to be tested moves a first image of a three dimensional object and a second image of a three dimensional object into convergence in the center of the cubic space. The first and second images are randomly placed within the cubic space wherein and may further comprise identical or differing objects of similar or differing color or of similar or differing shape.
2. Prior Art Statement
Study and work in the field of eye disorders has produced a plethora of devices and methods to measure the various disorders and/or to assist in training of the eyes to enhance performance. Depth perception is the ability to judge the relative spatial alignment of objects whereas vision is defined as an ability to see an object. Thus, a person may have 20/20 vision yet lack good depth perception. Persons in hazardous occupations and those charged with the safe delivery of passengers require excellent depth perception as well as excellent vision. For instance, air line pilots must have both abilities in order to safely land an aircraft on a plane surface from aloft in a cubic space. Similar characteristics are required of bus drivers, construction personnel, crane and forklift operators. Of course, all persons benefit from good vision and proper depth perception.
It is known to provide a mechanical device to test for depth perception by providing a pair of objects in carriers in elongated slots in the lid of an enclosure wherein a subject to be tested uses a loop to move both objects simultaneously toward or away from each other wherein the color, distance, cross-section, size of the pegs and the illumination may be manually changed. Mirrored walls are also provided to reflect the image of the pegs. For instance, see the U.S. Pat. No. 4,260,226 issued on Apr. 07, 1981, to Bahador Ghahramani.
It is also known to provide a mechanical device for testing, exercising and enhancing binocular vision by having a first stationary element oriented in a vertical plane equidistant from both eye apertures, a second stationary element oriented in the same vertical plane and spaced from the first element, a focus element in the same vertical plane as the stationary elements and means to move the focus element back and forth in the vertical plane from above one stationary element to above the other element. For instance, see the U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,464,027 and 4,506,963 issued on Aug. 7, 1984 and Mar. 26, 1985, respectively, to Clifford W. Cooper.
It is further known to analyze depth perception by presenting a target on a first screen, detecting eye movement using the limbus reflection method from spectacle mounted eye detectors, removing the saccade component and calculating an amplitude of the vergence eye movement, change in convergence angle and cross-correlation of velocity or acceleration of left and right eye movement. For instance, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,357,293 issued on Oct. 18, 1994 to Uomori, et al.
Additionally, it is known to measure stereoscopic convergence using an eye-point camera in a head worn apparatus to detect movement of the eyeball when a virtual image of an object is moved in one eyepiece relative to a fixed virtual image in the other eyepiece. For instance, see the U.S. Pat. No. 5,825,456 issued on Oct. 20, 1998 to Tabata, et al.
It is also known to provide a virtual reality apparatus for testing, measuring and quantifying information from head gear worn by a subject being tested. The head gear has an excitation device for supplying a test stimuli to a screen in the foreground of the head gear, a feed back device operated by the subject to respond to the test stimuli, a computer for receiving, interpreting, sequencing and sending information to the subject and a printing device to supply a permanent record. For instance, see the U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,864,384 and 5,898,474 and 5,910,834 issued on Jan. 26, 1999, Apr. 27, 1999 and Jun. 8, 1999, respectively, to McClure, et al.
It is still further known to provide a binocular view function inspecting apparatus comprising a display for displaying a reference image and an index image in three dimensional spatial relationship, an input device for a test subject to move the display position of the index image in order that a predetermined reference position of the reference image and the display position of the index image coincide, a second input device for the test subject to confirm the coincidence of the images and a calculation to determine the amount of deviation of the index image from the reference position. For instance, see the U.S. Pat. No. 5,877,840 issued on Mar. 2, 1999 to Yamada, et al.
It is also known to provide a system for testing and evaluating driver situational awareness comprising a computer for generating and displaying road and traffic images, displaying instruction data, receiving response data from a subject, measuring response signals and times and providing an output of the results. For instance, see the U.S. Pat. No. 5,888,074 issued on Mar. 30, 1999 to Stapin, et al.
Finally, it is known to provide a display for providing physiological depth cues for true 3-D imaging which comprises a cubic matrix of substantially transparent material having an array of voxels of electroluminescent material arranged in the matrix activated by a plurality of substantially transparent electrodes operably coupled to the array of voxels. For instance, see the U.S. Pat. No. 5,929,572 issued on Jul. 27, 1999 to Eric James Whitesell.
The apparatus described in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,260,226 commonly owned by the inventor of the instant invention was useful in a fixed location however, was difficult to move and hence was not readily utilized in multiple locations. The range of peg colors, shapes and sizes was limited to the locations fixed on the carriers in the box and further was limited by space between the carriers. Furthermore, the carriers were movable only toward and away from the subject thereby providing only linear perception of depth. Statistics gathered utilizing the mechanical device provided only rankings of linear depth perception for the ninety six possible different combinations of four distances from the box, three colors of pegs, four levels of illumination and two distances between pegs. Therefore, there is a need for an electronic eye depth testing method and apparatus comprising a three dimensional cubic space displayed on a display screen, wherein the cubic space has a first image of a three dimensional object and a second image of a three dimensional object, the first and second images randomly placed within the cubic space and wherein the first image is located at the intersection of two perpendicular vertical planes and a horizontal plane perpendicular to the two vertical planes, the second image located at the intersection of two perpendicular vertical planes and a horizontal plane perpendicular to the two vertical planes, wherein a subject to be tested moves the images into convergence in the center of the cubic space.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an electronic eye depth testing method and apparatus comprising a three dimensional cubic space displayed on a display screen, the cubic space having a first image of a three dimensional object and a second image of a three dimensional object, the first and the second images randomly placed within the cubic space wherein a subject to be tested moves the two images into convergence in the center of the cubic wherein the first image is initially located at the intersection of two perpendicular vertical planes and a horizontal plane perpendicular to the vertical planes, and the second image is initially located at the intersection of two perpendicular vertical planes and a horizontal plane perpendicular to the vertical planes.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide an electronic eye depth testing method and apparatus comprising a three dimensional cubic space displayed on a display screen, the cubic space having a series of horizontal planes extending through the side walls and through the rear wall and the front wall, a first series of vertical planes extending through the rear wall and front walls and through the top and bottom walls, and a second series of vertical planes extending through the bottom and top walls and the side walls of the cubic space.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide an electronic eye depth testing method and apparatus comprising a three dimensional cubic space displayed on a display screen having a first image of a three dimensional object and a second image of a three dimensional object randomly placed therewithin wherein the two images are moved simultaneously in opposite directions within one of the series of first planes using one pair of keys on a keyboard device used for controlling the images on the display screen, or simultaneously in opposite directions within one of the series of second planes using a second pair of keys or simultaneously in opposite directions within one of the series of third planes using a third pair of keys.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide an electronic eye depth testing method and apparatus comprising a three dimensional cubic space displayed on a display screen, the cubic space having a series of horizontal planes extending through the side walls and through the rear wall and the front wall, a first series of vertical planes extending through the rear wall and front walls and through the top and bottom walls, and a second series of vertical planes extending through the bottom and top walls and the side walls of the cubic space and wherein one of the two images is moved in a single direction in one of either of the series of vertical planes using a fourth pair of keys and/or moved in a single direction in one of series of the horizontal planes using a fifth pair of keys.
Still another object of this invention is to provide an electronic eye depth testing method and apparatus comprising a three dimensional cubic space displayed on a display screen having a first image of a three dimensional object and a second image of a three dimensional object randomly placed therewithin wherein the cubic space has a vertical axis, a first horizontal axis and a second horizontal axis, the vertical axis and the first and second horizontal axes crossing as the center of the cubic space and wherein the cubic space may be rotated about the first horizontal axis by a sixth set of keys on the keyboard and/or rotated about the vertical axis by a seventh set of keys on the keyboard.
An additional object of this invention is to provide an electronic eye depth testing method and apparatus comprising a three dimensional cubic space displayed on a display screen, the cubic space having a first image of a three dimensional object and a second image of a three dimensional object, the first and the second images randomly placed within the cubic space wherein a subject to be tested moves the two images into convergence in the center of the cubic space wherein the first image and the second image are of like color selected from the 256 ASCII colors and/or are of like shape and/or wherein the first image may be identical to the second image.
Yet an additional object of this invention is to provide an electronic eye depth testing method and apparatus comprising a three dimensional cubic space displayed on a display screen having a first image of a three dimensional object and a second image of a three dimensional object randomly placed therewithin wherein the cubic space has a vertical axis, a first horizontal axis and a second horizontal axis, the cubic space further having a reflective surface on at least one horizontal wall parallel to the second horizontal axis and the vertical axis, and/or a reflective surface on the rear wall parallel to the first horizontal axis and the vertical axis, and/or a reflective surface on the top and/or the bottom wall parallel to the first and second horizontal axes.
Still yet another object of this invention is to provide an electronic eye depth testing method and apparatus comprising a three dimensional cubic space displayed on a display screen having a first image of a three dimensional object and a second image of a three dimensional object randomly placed therewithin wherein the cubic space has a vertical axis, a first horizontal axis and a second horizontal axis, the cubic space further having a reflective surface on at least one horizontal wall or at least one vertical wall wherein the first image is reflected from each reflective surface and the second image is reflected from each reflective surface in a position relative to the first image and the second image respectively.
Still another object of this invention is to provide an electronic eye depth testing method and apparatus comprising a three dimensional cubic space displayed on a display screen having a first image of a three dimensional object and a second image of a three dimensional object randomly placed therewithin wherein the cubic space has a vertical axis, a first horizontal axis and a second horizontal axis wherein the cubic space may be rotated about the first horizontal axis and the vertical axis and wherein the cubic space further has a reflective surface on at least one horizontal wall and/or at least one vertical wall, wherein the first image is reflected from each reflective surface and the second image is reflected from each reflective surface in a position relative to the first image and the second image respectively and the reflections move with horizontal and/or vertical rotation of the cubic space relative to respective position of the first and second image.
Still another object of this invention is to provide an electronic eye depth testing method and apparatus comprising a three dimensional cubic space displayed on a display screen, the cubic space having a first image of a three dimensional object and a second image of a three dimensional object, the first and the second images randomly placed within the cubic space wherein a subject to be tested faces the space from position relative to front face and moves the images into convergence in the center of the cubic space by observing the first and second images through an open front wall of the cubic space.
Finally, it is an object of this invention to provide an electronic eye depth testing method and apparatus comprising a three dimensional cubic space displayed on a display screen having a first image of a three dimensional object and a second image of a three dimensional object randomly placed therewithin wherein the cubic space has a vertical axis, a first horizontal axis and a second horizontal axis, the vertical axis and the first and second horizontal axes crossing as the center of the cubic space and wherein the cubic space may be rotated about the first horizontal axis and/or rotated about the vertical axis wherein a subject to be tested faces the space from a position relative to front face and moves the images into convergence in the center of the cubic space by observing the first and second images through an open front wall of the cubic space wherein the front face aperture is reduced in size when the cubic space is rotated.